


The Halibut

by Oliver9345



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22941019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliver9345/pseuds/Oliver9345
Summary: Set in a world where the only thing that can kill you is tattooed on your wrist at birth.
Kudos: 1





	The Halibut

**He hated the word.** It caught his eye whenever he left the shower. He’d tried tattooing over it, but it would just change color to be even more visible than before as if it was taunting him with his own mortality. Everyone had the word of the thing that could kill them inscribed on their wrist from the day of their birth. But he was James McAddams. He was no simple sap off the street waiting for death. He had money and power, and it was his duty to use it. Unlike some people he had been given the opportunity to rid the world of the thing that could kill him. 

James stepped out of his wardrobe dressed in an extravagant suit and tie. His assistant fell into step behind him, an action that had been practiced to exhaustion over the years. 

“Is it ready?” asked James without turning to acknowledge the man walking beside him. 

“Yes, sir.” McAddams’ assistant took no offense. He was getting paid a great deal after all. “The last halibut caught has been delivered to the chef to be prepared for your breakfast.” 

“Excellent, then today is the day I become immortal.” James McAddams rarely smiled. So when he did it looked off, as if it was something he hadn’t ever seen done, but someone had explained it to him before. His assistant did his best to not let his discomfort show. 

The table was set with enough food to feed a small village, but there was only one plate. The golden cutlery alone was valued for enough money to construct several blocks of social housing, yet here it sat serving just one man’s vanity. So it was that approximately 30 chefs, maids, and waiters stood at attention, waiting for James McAddams to arrive. 

He did. He sat and the chef presented him with a platter with what was once an entire fish. James had made it clear that he didn’t need “you to tell me what I’m eating. It’s a waste of time,” so the chef simply bowed and took his place along the wall. James took his first bite the same way he did everything in life, aggressively and without care for the effect on others. The servants along the wall all knew better than to express their disgust at the sheer amount of food that seemed to miss their master’s mouth entirely, ending up on the floor or on his suit. There was always a suit ready for him as he left the dining hall for that very reason. 

Today, it would be unnecessary. One of the maids was the first to notice something was wrong. It was normal for James to go red in the face due to the ferocity of his eating style, but blue was a new color. A golden fork and knife clattered to the floor as the hands holding them decided they were better served holding the throat that was having trouble doing its job. At this point all of those aligned along the walls knew what was happening, though through an unspoken agreement they remained where they were. 

So it was that James McAddams death was brought about by the simple creature he had hunted to extinction for having the audacity to have its name on his wrist. The halibut. 


End file.
